


Girls Und Panzer - Mann Und Grosskampf - The Grand Battle

by Kwarduk



Category: Girls und Panzer
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Europe, Eventual Romance, F/M, Female Characters, Friendship, Japan, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other additional characters to be added, Sensha-dou | Tankery, Tanks, male characters, tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25923310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kwarduk/pseuds/Kwarduk
Summary: A new kind of tournament is coming up, a clashing of two different cultures of Sensha-do, new schools, new tanks and new tactics will be seen, for Ooarai and its commander Miho however, they will have to also take on volunteers, who may have different vehicles, different tactics, and even, be of different genders from what they are used to.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Girls Und Panzer - Mann Und Grosskampf - The Grand Battle

  


It was the same routine for Miho…

  


Get up, fall out of bed, shut up the alarm, get dressed, have breakfast, grab your bag, lock the door, walk forward and then back to check you locked the door properly, find you where worrying over nothing as the door was stuck shut, walk past the bakery, look both ways and cross the street, wave to everyone who greeted you, get to the school, walk up three flights of stairs, open the door to her personal office, sling the bag onto the nearby sofa and lay down in the desk chair and wait until the time for the first lesson of the day came and go down to the appropriate room.

But today, that routine would be broken.

It was rather strange when the first thing she found on the desk was a small pile of random documents. After putting her bag down next to the desk and upon closer inspection, she found a note which had been handwritten placed on the top:

  


_To Miho_

_There will be a new sensha-dō tournament format which will be coming up very soon. I've had Yuzu put some of the appropriate documents on your desk; have a look through them and see what you think of it all. If you need to talk, don't hesitate to contact the student council on the landline. The student council will also be pulling all the members of our team into our room at two o'clock; be sure to be present._

_Momo Kawashima_

_P.S. I've had you excused from all lessons for today so you can process all of this documentation._

_P.P.S. Anzu says hi._

  


"A new tournament format?" Miho asked herself curiously as she sat down in the leather chair and proceeded to spread all the documents out. They consisted of information on many different aspects, such as rules, locations, win and lose conditions, regulations, the lot. It was very heavy on the informative side and she knew from a glance it would take some time for her to go through it all.

Going back on that, it was rather weird for a single girl like her to have a room like this office all to herself, probably a reward for supporting the entire school, well she did stop the school from being closed down…twice.

She got her thoughts back together and picked up the piece of paper on the top, and almost immediately, the main thing which stood out to her was the name of this entire event:

**_ 'The 1st Eurasian Sensha-dō Grand Battle Tournament' _ **

"Eurasian? So both Asia and Europe are involved?" she asked herself, the name sparking her interest.

She started the long and drawn out process of looking at all the paperwork in its entirety, scanning every document and every sentence, down to the last letter, all while formulating her thoughts as she took in the information. Once she had processed it all, she looked up at the clock.

The minute hand had just hit eleven o'clock, meaning that maybe the student council was in a free period. She didn't realize just how much time it had taken to look over the documents until then.

She reached for the phone on her desk and punched 000 into the keypad, which set the phone to internal school connections, then punched in three more digits for the student council, she had the phone to her receiver as she waited for someone to pick up.

At last there was the crackle on the other side.

"Hello?" the voice of Yuzu came on the other side.

"Hey Yuzu, it's Miho. I had a few things to ask about this 'Grand Battle Tournament' which you put on my desk," the commander said.

"Oh, yeah. That. I'll pass you onto Momo; she's the one who's pushing this. Hey, Momo-chan!... it's Miho, she wants to ask you things about that new tournament!" There was the sound of the phone exchanging hands.

"Hi Nishizumi, what did you want to ask me?" the student council's PR manager said.

"About this new tournament-I'm a bit confused about its name. Will European schools be competing in it too?" Miho asked.

"Oh, yeah, that's the main idea with this tournament," Momo explained, "It's to help expand the sport and strengthen the bond between the continents-"

"Yeah, so do you know who else is competing?" Miho interrupted her,

"Well, European sensha-dō teams will obviously be taking part, as well as a few teams we've seen here before. I don't know exactly how many, but you can count on seeing a few new faces. Also the tournament will be abiding by European sensha-dō rules. Don't freak out-all that's different are a few rules and features that you probably won't notice," Momo explained.

"Never knew sensha-dō had been so prominent in Europe as well. Though I guess it makes sense, considering that Britain, France, and Germany are all European countries," Miho muttered.

"Yes, but sensha-dō as a sport was mostly confined to the rich and elite for much of its time over there, and it has only recently taken off, seeing as the sport has become cheaper and more of the lower-classes has jumped in. But the Europeans do have their own way of running matches," Momo continued.

"In what way?" Miho inquired.

"It's closer to a large scale conflict than a short battle, where the amount of resources gained by a team determines victory, rather than the losses they suffered," Momo added on.

Miho gave a short whine in confusion. "I thought you said the rule changes were going to be small."

Momo sighed and continued, "Look, I'll explain it better in the session I've set at two o'clock, but what I can tell you right now, is this whole thing will be very taxing on the commander, so I advise you to nominate a vice-commander."

"I thought you were the vice-commander," Miho said, remembering the position Momo was in in the past.

"Me? Hah! That was all because I didn't want the school to close down and I was a nervous breakdown throughout the entire thing. Even so, since you're the real commander, I'm giving you the choice for this tournament and I know that there are people in our team who can do a much better job than me. Just say a name and I can call them up for you to do the honours," Momo said.

Miho hummed to herself as she thought about all the girls who were in their team. Most of them were just average tank crews who just did what they were told and followed orders, but one of them stood out to Miho in particular.

"So? Made a decision?" Momo then took her out of thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Riko. She will make a good vice-commander-she literally knows too much about military doctrine when it comes to tanks," Miho replied.

"Okay, I'll call her up. Oh, and one more thing, Miho," Momo said.

"Yes, Kawashima?" the commander responded,

"Are you sure you want Ooarai to participate?" the PR manager asked, wanting the final say.

"Looking at it, and what we've all been through, I think we can do it," Miho said supportively.

Momo gave a small smirk, a smirk which Miho wouldn't've been able to see over the phone line.

"Okay. Thanks, Miho. I'll meet you at two o'clock. See you there," Momo said.

"Okay, see you," Miho returned and she put the phone down.

"Matsumoto Riko, can you present yourself in the sensha-dō commander's room please? Repeat, Matsumoto Riko, please present yourself in the sensha-dō commander's room," Miho heard Momo's voice over the school's PA system outside.

She returned to thinking about the possible vehicles they may come up with. Due to the different rules Momo had mentioned, the tank lineup they would be potentially going up against might be much different from what they were used to.

Maybe the tanks would be more numerous in number? Maybe they would be more advanced? Maybe certain modifications would be allowed? All of these questions went through Miho's mind.

"Maybe we need a bit more support. I wonder what the stance is on volunteers, or maybe Momo's already thought of that," Miho said to herself.

She was then greeted by the sound of a knock on the door.

"Come in," Miho called, her eyes still locked onto a piece of paper in her hand.

She heard the door opening then closing and some feet walking on the carpet. The feet stopped at the top of her peripheral vision, and she looked up at the person who had just entered.

Riko Matsumoto, better known by her nickname Erwin, was standing there before her, wearing her usual attire of a German peaked cap which covered some of her blond hair, styled to have an earlike spike come out of each side, and a yellow "Afrika Korp"-styled jacket over her school uniform.

She then gave her a military salute with her right arm, as she was the sort of person who liked to show deference to her tankery command, especially someone like Miho.

"You called me up here, Miho?" she asked her commander.

"Oh yeah, you can pull a chair up, Erwin," Miho told her.

Erwin pulled over a chair from one of the walls and sat in it. Out of respect, she took her cap off and held it against her stomach,

"Have you heard that there's going to be a new tournament coming up very soon?" Miho inquired.

Erwin scratched her hair in thought. "I did hear here and there that there was this new tournament in the works, mostly from the JSF," she replied.

Miho then took one of the documents and handed it over. Erwin took the paper and her eyes scanned the words printed on the sheet.

"A grand battle tournament?" she asked her commander.

"Yeah, the Japanese and European sensha-dō bodies are going to be hosting this grand battle tournament in a few days. Looks like it's going to be big," Miho said.

Erwin then placed the paper back down on the table and leaned back in the chair. "So what are you doing about it?" she asked Miho.

"Well, I've been talking with the student council, and we've decided we're gonna have a shot at it," Miho explained.

Erwin smirked a bit. "Probably so MEXT and that baka Tsuji have less of a reason to shut us down next time".

"Yeah. You know, if we did win this new tournament, then it would be undeniable that we can be victors not just in Japan, but on the world stage as well," Miho voiced her optimism.

"Well, what can I do for all of this?" Erwin said, refocusing the conversation. Miho's face lit up.

"Oh, yeah. You see, Momo is relegating herself more and more to keeping the entire team together-not in orders, just in administration of the entire team," she began as Erwin leaned in a bit closer on her chair.

Miho stopped for a second. "Well, getting right to the point, I need a new vice-commander...and I thought you were the right candidate," she finished.

Erwin's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Wait…you want to promote me?" she queried, shocked. Miho nodded.

Erwin sank down in her seat a bit. "Well, I'm a bit touched, Miho. I came into this room not really expecting to be suddenly promoted to a vice commander or anything like that," she said.

"I personally thought you were the best for the task, Erwin. I mean, who's the one who corrects everyone on aspects of tank history and usage and tells them to apologise to the Finnish?" Miho said.

Erwin smirked slightly at that comment.

"And who's the one who can tell the life story of a World War II general on the spot when asked?" Miho continued. "Oh, and also, who is…"

"Okay, okay, I get it, Miho," Erwin interrupted with a smile.

"See, you know so much about military doctrine from the time which our tanks are from, and the fact you're dressed for the part is a bonus," Miho chirped, then she leaned forward on her desk.

"So...I just need your say on it. Do you want to be my vice-commander?" she finished.

Erwin then put her peaked cap back onto her head and looked at her commander.

"Okay, I'll do it," she affirmed.

  


Two o'clock came, and the student council room was filling up with all the members of the sensha-dō team-Anglerfish, Turtle, Duck, Hippo, Rabbit, Mallard, Anteater, Leopon, they were all here. Miho squeezed through the door to witness the packed room, with everyone talking among themselves. Miho noticed Yukari waving at her from a sofa, with a free space alongside Saori, Hana, and Mako.

She walked over to and sat down between Yukari and Saori. "Hey, Miporin, how are you?" the latter girl greeted her.

Miho just smiled. "I'm fine, guys. Just been reading into this new tournament," she said.

"I wonder what this new tournament is. It seems rather big, just from looking around," Hana chimed in.

"Ooh, I'm so excited!" Yukari bubbled.

"I don't know why everyone's making a big deal out of this anyways," Mako just murmured, still looking tired as always.

Soon the student council consisting of Momo, Anzu and Yuzu walked in and stood at the forefront of the scene. Everyone went quiet and looked at them.

"Hi there," Anzu announced. "Thank you for making it up here in time. Now, I know you may be asking about what this is all about, but I'll let Nishizumi bring up the opening points"

She then looked at Miho and this was her cue to stand up. "Okay thanks. Firstly, I've looked over all the available documentation, and this tournament, which we will be fighting in a few days, is going to be much different compared to the others we fought in the past," she started.

She could see everyone was interested, as some of them were beginning to lean attentively forwards.

Miho went on. "Secondly, to help bolster the command for this tournament, I would like to congratulate Erwin on her promotion to vice-commander," she beamed.

Everyone looked at Erwin and some of them clapped. Erwin stood up with a smile and took a bow before sitting back down again.

"So I'm guessing I don't have to do the lazy one's strategic homework anymore?" Caesar grinned with her arms crossed.

"Oh, don't worry, I could slack off even more if you were bored," Erwin quipped. Oryou and Saemonza laughed while Caesar just rolled her eyes.

"I'm joking, I'll be taking the strategy of Hippo Team from now on," Erwin said, asserting her new position as the full Hippo commander, although she would still leave the running of the history club to Caesar.

"Okay, with those out of the way, Momo?" Anzu said.

"So, we will be taking part in the 1st Eurasian grand battle tournament-" Momo began.

"Eurasian? I didn't know Europe had that much of a tankery scene," Noriko, the commander of Duck Team, interrupted, seemingly out of ignorance.

"Yes, they do. The reason why you don't hear much about tankery from there is that it's not really that much of a mainstream sport, as it was mostly just an activity for the rich and elite," the PR manager explained.

"But from what I heard, it's taken off in the past few years as the lower classes have taken up the reigns," Anzu then jumped in while biting down on a dried potato.

Miho could almost swear she had some kind of unbreakable bond with that snack.

"Anyway, the Japan Sensha-Dō Federation and the European Tankery Association, or ETA for short, have set out the rules for this tournament. It's mostly the same, but there are a few differences. I will have it on the projector screen…once Yuzu has figured it out," Momo groaned while looking at her colleague, who was struggling with the white screen.

Sodoko of the Mallard team huffed and walked over to Yuzu, pushing her aside and fixing the screen herself.

"Thanks," Yuzu said with a bit of embarrassment.

"Don't mention it," Sodoko deadpanned in her usual serious tone.

Nakajima of the Leopon team, who was next to the light switches, did the honours and switched them off. The room darkened as some words popped up on the screen.

"The rules, as I said, are almost the same, but if I could draw your attention to points 3-01 and 4-06, the differences are underlined," Momo showed everyone's eyes scanned down the words.

  


** 3-01 Participating vehicles' specifications **

The only vehicles allowed to participate are the following:

Vehicles whose design was in development before **December 31, 1960** (some exceptions to this rule may be made on a case-by-case basis).

Vehicles whose construction was planned using only materials available before the aforementioned date

If a participant is from a country which did not have a native tank design before the aforementioned date, then they can use tanks designed before **December 31, 1996.** A team is limited to 4 of these vehicles and will be subject to balancing regulations (See point 3-01 cont. for more information.)

Certain modern technologies (technologies made after August 15, 1945) must be stripped off/replaced on the chosen vehicles. Other technological abilities may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis (See point 3-01 cont. For more information).

The limit of a vehicle's weight is set to 300 tonnes.

Vehicles which meet these requirements must be confirmed to be constructed using materials that were available at that time.

However, in the event that there is difficulty supplying the appropriate parts, the League may determine the allowable extent of reproductions and modifications.

Changes to the type or number of participating vehicles on a team directly prior to the match are open to objection by opposition members.

Open-topped vehicles, including gun carriages, self-propelled anti-tank guns and indirect fire artillery may be considered tanks, but require approval on a case-by-case basis; this rule can be resolved by the participants if they modify the open-topped vehicle with an enclosement kit.

  


** 3-01 Participating vehicles' specifications cont. **

If a participating vehicle falls under the previously mentioned 1960-1996 rule, then the chosen vehicle must follow a set of manufacturer regulations:

The steel used in the production of the vehicle must be of a similar grade to 1960s grade steel (ceramics used in composite armour are not subjected to this rule).

The track horsepower of the vehicle must be reduced by 25% of its original engine power. Gas-turbine engines are prohibited and must be replaced with substitutes.

Explosive reactive armour is prohibited and must be removed, disabled or replaced with non-explosive substitutes.

The strength of gun stabilizers must be reduced by 50%.

The strength of turret hydraulic systems must be reduced by 25%.

Night-vision systems are prohibited and must be replaced with substitutes.

Fire-control systems must also be reduced in their information-gathering capabilities and all automatic systems must be disabled, meaning all target acquisition and computing must be done manually by the tank's gunner.

ATGM's (Anti-Tank Guided Missiles) are prohibited and must be removed from the vehicle.

Sub-calibre rounds are prohibited and must be replaced with substitutes (APCR/HVAP rounds are not defined as sub-calibre by the regulators).

  


** 4-06 On disabled vehicles **

A tank **may no longer participate** in the battle after it has been declared inoperable.

A tank is declared inoperable if the crew compartment is considered to be destroyed or if the crew **without assistance from anybody outside the team** cannot recover/repair the vehicle to operational status again.

Shells have the ability to knock out crew members, rendering them unconscious and unable to perform tasks. They can be revived by the crew by using limited revival salts, if this is not done, they will remain unconscious for a few hours, usually waking up after a battle has concluded.

If a tank has less than **two** operational crew members, it is considered inoperable.

The participants will wait for the orders of the Judges, and comply with them as quickly as possible.

  


"Any questions?" Anzu asked after some time. She saw a hand immediately pop up from Anglerfish Team.

"Yes, Yukari?" she queried.

"Looking at those tank regulation dates, that suggests we will be facing early Cold War vehicles, maybe even some MBT's, and even blueprint vehicles which never had an official prototype. Do you think we can take that on with what we have?" she asked.

"We've been talking about that point between ourselves too, and the solution to that we will share later," Momo answered.

"Okay, so shall we go into the concept of a grand battle?" Anzu bubbled, sitting down in her prized office chair.

Momo switched the screen to another slide full of words again, which she started to read out.

"This is a tournament which demands the greatest stamina, tactical and management skills from a team, not just in the battle but out of it as well, each team will have a home base and there will be depots all over the huge play area, in these will be crates full of 'industrial resource'..."

"Ai-what's this industrial resource?" Karina of Rabbit Team whispered to Azusa, who was next to her.

"Beats me," the Rabbit Team commander quietly replied, dumbfounded.

"...we have to assault these depots and take the resource back to our base and into our storage. Any tanks knocked out in the process will be delivered back for repair, but some resources will be taken away. The team who has the most resources in their storage by the end of the tournament period is declared the winner," Momo finished breathlessly.

Another hand popped up.

"Yes, Piyotan?" Momo said.

"How long is this tournament going to last?" the Anteater Team gunner questioned.

"We'll be in the field for two full weeks," Momo replied.

There was an audible groan from the other Anteater Team members. "Well, I'd better get the laptop ready," Nekota said to herself.

Another hand then popped up.

"Yes Moyoko?" Momo said,

"Will we be encountering anything else other than the other schools? And which schools will be participating?" Moyoko (or Gomoyo as she was also known) inquired.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, there will be a force of inter-war and early-war vehicles which will be all over the map. They may be moving around in packs or defending a depot. These, which are known as 'Jinzōno' tanks, are controlled by AI and will attack any team they see," Momo said.

"Oh, and we aren't entirely sure of the list of Japanese schools which will be participating, but do expect the usual schools such as St. Gloriana and Kuromorimine to attend. There will also be European schools, as we mentioned previously. For now, I also don't have a list of which schools will be participating, but I'll keep you all up to date on any changes that happen," she finished with the second part.

"And finally, going back to your earlier question, Yukari, since we are in a rather precarious situation with our tanks, I've been looking around and we will be having some volunteers from three European schools join us, but there is one slight issue."

Momo then gave a slight pause, and for a moment, a sense of hesitation flashed over her face.

"You all do know the concept of tankery in Japan being a feminine sport?" she asked, everyone looked even closer at her.

Momo took a breath "the thing is, in Europe the sport of tankery is more egalitarian, and the three teams we took in…are fully male."

Everyone was a bit unnerved by this prospect, men didn't really have a place in tankery in their culture, so to have three male crews join them? that was quite the culture shock right there.

However, everyone was caught off guard by a loud scream from Saori, with a face full of glee.

"OH MY GOOOOD! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE BOYS IN OUR GROUP! WHAT DO THEY LOOK LIKE? WHAT ARE THEIR INTERESTS? ARE THEY SINGLE? ARE THEY…"

"Whoa. whoa, calm down, Saori! All I know is that one crew is British, another is Swedish and the final one is Italian," Momo quickly said, trying to quiet her down.

"ITALIAN, SWEDISH, AND BRITISH!?" Saori gasped. Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped back in her chair with a smile on her face, having fainted from the sensational overload.

"And I thought I fainted too easily," Mako said in shock. Hana just smiled at her comment while Miho was left speechless by what just happened.

Miho turned back to the student council and forced a smile to get things back on track. "Well… well, we'll be glad to take them on as our own. Right, guys?" she asked the rest of the teams.

They thought about it for a second, and most of them returned smiles.

"Sure, it may be awkward to have boys on the team, but what the hell, it may be exciting for all of us," Noriko encouraged.

"It may jeopardize the school rules completely, but for this tournament, I'm willing to make an exception," Sodoko added on.

"We can totally do it, guys!" Azusa exulted.

"So, from what I'm hearing, I'm guessing Ooarai will be taking part in the tournament?" Momo sought clarification.

"YEAH!"

Momo was a bit taken aback from the response she received. Anzu hopped out of her chair.

"Then it's settled. The tournament starts in a few days, so that will give us time to make plans, train up and get the vehicles ready and to the tournament's specifications. You are dismissed for now," she said.

She then looked at Saori and grimaced a bit to her unconscious body.

"...but can someone please take Miss Takebe to the nurse?" she asked kindly.

  


"Have the preparations been made?" Darjeeling's sweet voice said over the telephone, sitting there in her armchair with tea in hand.

Orange Pekoe, Assam and Rosehip were looking at their commander as she spoke.

"Perfect. We will be leaving in a few days, so make sure those tanks are in tip-top shape… All right, thank you. Goodbye," Darjeeling said and put the phone down. She turned and looked at her classmates.

"Well?" Pekoe asked.

"Everything is in order. All the students are informed and the tanks are being prepared as we speak. St. Gloriana will be participating in the grand battle tournament," Darjeeling said.

"Well, this will be interesting, seeing all these new schools," Assam added.

"Yeah, and I'll be the one showing my speed and hit-and-run skills to them all desu wa!" Rosehip boasted, full of energy. Pekoe and Assam giggled while Darjeeling pinched the bridge of her nose.

"When will she ever learn?" she groaned to herself.

  


"I'm telling you, we have it in the bag!" Kay's loud, cheery voice chirped over the table.

Naomi and Alisa, who were on the other side, were listening to her words. Naomi had her arms crossed and Alisa had a few tournament documents in her hands, which she was reading.

"What new schools will we be facing?" the former questioned.

"Eh, don't really know, but even so, they're probably just on the same level as us, but given that, we have the tank numbers to compensate for that," Kay answered. Naomi still wasn't convinced.

"Saunders has the tank numbers and we have the people to operate them. Even if these European schools had more sophisticated vehicles, we could always beat them with the superior firepower doctrine, and just to spice it up, because of these relaxed rules, I've ordered a few more toys for us to play with," Kay continued.

This was enough encouragement for Naomi. "Eh, what the hell. Even if we didn't win, we still would make an impression, wouldn't we?" she chuckled.

Kay leaned forward in her seat. "Also, I want us to make a good impression on these new schools, so no tricks, no sleaziness…and definitely no wiretapping!" Those last words were directed at Alisa, who immediately panicked with wide open eyes.

"Look! I told you I'm done with all that stuff! You saw me rip that equipment out of my tank, didn't you?" she blubbered, trying to defend herself.

Kay just laughed. "I just love seeing you like that, but seriously, can you all please promise to me that you will stay in line with the rules?" she asked.

Naomi nodded and Alisa did a 'cross my heart and hope to die' on her chest.

"Good. I'll be calling an assembly later today. Just be there and we'll get the rest of the school on board," Kay bubbled.

  


"Absolutely, Katyusha will be taking Pravda to this glorious tournament!" the little girl of that name howled in her seat, with Nonna and Klara looking on. Documents were strewn all over the table.

"Are you absolutely sure you want us to take part, Miss Katyusha?" Klara asked.

Katyusha just looked at her with a pout. "Of course, we have the strongest tanks after all! with our prowess! Katyusha will show those Europeans that they are below me, in strength and in height!" she boomed.

Klara just looked at Nonna. _"Vy deystvitel'no dumayete, chto my mozhem eto sdelat'?"_ she asked her colleague in her own language.

Nonna just chuckled. _"Ya ne dumayu, chto u nas yest' bol'shoy vybor, teper' vy sobirayetes' podpisat' etot dokument ob uchastii?"_ she replied.

"STOP SPEAKING RUSSIAN!" Katyusha yelled at them both.

  


Marie groaned at the situation in front of her. There she was, on her side of the table where herself, Andou, and Oshida were trying to convince the unifier of their school to take the commanding position again.

That person was on the other side of the table-Asparagus.

"I told you, I've caused enough problems for this school. I've relegated myself to the Tankathlon scene, and that is where I choose to stay," Asparagus reaffirmed.

Marie sighed. "But you were the person who unified us in the first place. We seriously need you back! We need a strong, uniting figure like you for the upcoming tournament!" she begged.

Asparagus still had her arms crossed with a serious look under the visor of her hat. "Why are you all of a sudden so desperate to have me back anyways? And what is this tournament you're speaking of?" she questioned. Marie looked at both her classmates and decided to say it out loud.

"I've signed BC Freedom up for the 1st Eurasian Grand Battle Tournament," she admitted.

Asparagus then seemed to loosen up a bit. "Wait, that large scale tournament coming up soon?" she asked.

Marie just nodded. "That's the reason why I want you to come back. I don't think I can do this all by myself. I need you to step up as another leading figure of the team for this tournament," she said.

"Of course, because Oshida can't help you with that at all," Andou smirked.

"Hey! You can't lead anything if your life depended on it!" Oshida shot back.

"Oh, really? Then why am I the vice-commander you Escalator moron?" Andou said back,

"I'm a vice-commander too, you idiot Examinator!" Oshida shouted.

"Stop it, you two!" Marie snapped at them both with a raised voice. It was clear she wasn't in the mood to deal with their arguing at the moment.

Seeing that Marie wasn't being her usual ignorant, spoiled self told Asparagus that they were being serious. Sure, she had told herself not to do any more commanding, as her past actions had convinced her that she had caused this entire mess between the BC and Freedom parts of the school and that she had caused the inevitable rise of the Examination and Escalator factions, but she couldn't just stand by and watch the schools she united get humiliated in a highly prestigious tournament.

She finally made her decision as she looked into Marie's eyes.

"If you really want me to return for the sake of BC Freedom's honour, I will," she began. Marie started to crack a smile.

Then Asparagus stuck her finger up. "But under one condition," she said.

"And that being?" Andou asked. Asparagus had a slightly evil grin on her face, which immediately sent a sense of dread through the three students.

"Any member or members of either the Examination or Escalator class who choose to start a fight between each other under my command will receive a month's worth of homework as punishment. Oh, and no cake, I might add," she finished.

The other three girls gulped at this threat, their eyes wide in shock.

A month's worth of homework!? Andou and Oshida thought, horrified.

Marie looked at the plate of cake she had been eating. "No cake!?" she murmured, panicking.

Oshida then turned to Andou and violently shook her hand, "Er, we have absolutely no problems between us. Right, Andou!?" she said in a panic.

"Er, yes! No problems whatsoever!" Andou responded, also shaking her hand.

Marie looked back at Asparagus. "Well, welcome back, Commander. I think that makes me the co-commander now alongside you," she said.

Asparagus smiled. It looked like she still had that unifying prowess in her.

  


Anchovy had been hard at work that day, getting the new tanks she had ordered together from the earnings Anzio had made by hosting a few large parties, trying to get two week's worth of pasta and pizza rations together for the upcoming tournament, and calling the entire school together for an assembly.

There she was, standing on the stage in front of the projector screen, which was being operated by her two close companions, Carpaccio and Pepperoni.

"Students of Anzio!" her voice boomed over the entire crowd.

"As you may know, a great tournament between Japanese and European schools is due to commence soon, and we shall be participating in it as well."

"Now I know what you all are thinking-'Duce? Will we get destroyed just like in the standard Sensha-dō tournaments?' Well, let me answer that question right here and now. Thanks to all of your party-hosting skills, as well as putting up with having the pasta rations cut time and time again, we have been able to gain the necessary funds, and with these funds we are able to bring some new tanks to the tournament."

Carpaccio hit a button and the picture of an exotic-looking tank appeared on the screen.

"Our super-secret weapon, the M16/43, otherwise known as the Sahariano. Imagine having the gun of an M13, but the speed even greater than a Carro Veloce. We will outmanoeuvre our enemies with this vehicle and hit them hard where it hurts-with both of them, since I was able to order two!" Everyone gaped at this new vehicle, with some of the tank nuts in the crowd drooling at the mouth.

"But wait! There's more!" Anchovy snapped. "We found the armor and firepower of the Carro P26 to be rather insufficient, as our fight with Ooarai showed, but your great Duce has thought of this and I have just the vehicle." On cue, Carpaccio hit the button again, changing the image again to another tank.

"Our super-super-secret weapon! The Carro P43 bis!"

Everyone in the crowd gasped at this even more exotic tank. It even caught Pepperoni off guard-her eyes almost came out of her head.

"With a hundred millimeters of frontal armor and a ninety-millimeter gun in its turret, we will no longer be considered an underdog when it comes to armor and firepower, and I can tell you now that this tournament will be different! We at Anzio have been struggling under all these restrictions, but now, with these more relaxed European rules, it will be our time to shine, and Anzio will be on top!"

Those words where met with an ecstatic response from the crowd, many of them standing up and cheering and howling in excitement, Anchovy stood there with a smug look on her face as her name was cheered, turning to and smiling at both Carpaccio and Pepperoni who in turn smiled back and cheered with the crowd.

"Duce! Duce! Duce!"

  


"So, I can say we have come to an agreement on this tournament?" Kinuyo said to her subordinates around the table, all kneeling on pillows with a mixture of food such as sukiyaki and onigiri in front of them.

"Yes, Nishi-dono, we spent quite a bit on getting those new Type 4 Chi-To's and that Type 5 Chi-Ri tank for the tournament, Anyway, with those European regulations, we have much more freedom when it comes to tanks," Hosomi said.

"So if Nishi-dono is getting the Chi-Ri, who is getting her tank? Or the new tanks for that matter?" Fukuda inquired.

"I'm getting the Chi-To! And Hosomi could get the secret tank destroyer! And…" Tamada began to rattle off her ambitions, getting way ahead of herself.

"Woah, stop Tamada, firstly you're not setting the crews, I am, and second, I'm the overall commander here," Kinuyo put her foot down, stopping her vice-commander in her tracks.

"So what are you going to do about the crews?" Hosomi said. Kinuyo hummed in thought for a second.

"Firstly, Tamada will stick with her Shinhoto Chi-Ha…"

"What!?" huffed Tamada, feeling cheated.

"The reason, Tamada-san, is that I don't need you mindlessly charging into the enemy in an expensive tank. The Chi-To may have better armour, but as the Europeans we will be facing say, you will still be turned into Swiss cheese," Kinuyo explained.

Tamada then tried to open her mouth to start an argument.

"And if you try to argue with that position, I'll downgrade you to a Ha-Go," Kinuyo said, cutting her off.

Tamada looked a bit torn but just took a deep breath. "Fine," she calmly conceded.

Kinuyo then turned to the others. "Hosomi, you will get one of the Chi-To's, and Fukuda will get my Chi-Ha," she said.

"Awesome! Thanks de arimasu!" Fukuda cheered at being given a more powerful tank compared to her previous Ha-Go.

"Oh, and can we not mention the tank destroyer please? I don't want any leaks of information in case of...well, you know what," Kinuyo said. The others nodded their heads in response.

"But what about that super-heav…" Fukuda tried to say.

But Kinuyo reached over and covered her mouth, muffling her words.

"And we shall not talk about that vehicle either," Kinuyo said, silencing her.

  


The sound of the kantele filled the air around the BT-42. The three main members of Jatkosota were laid on the tanks engine deck. Aki and Mikko were looking at the clouds while Mika was just lightly plucking the strings of her instrument.

"So, with this tournament coming up, you think we have a shot in it?" Aki asked. Of course, like all the others, their small school had also signed up for the grand battle tournament.

"Of course we do! If we could take down a whole bunch of Pershings, what could stop us from doing well in this tournament?" Mikko bragged.

Aki turned to Mika for advice. Mika smiled back. "I do see your concern, Aki, but sometimes we have to fight an uphill battle in order to succeed in our lives." She then started to play another verse on her kantele.

"Sometimes God will put a Goliath in your life for you to find the David within you," she said.

Aki struggled to process those words, but knowing Mika, she probably knew what she was talking about.

"So, mother, has the restoration of the Boko museum been finished?" Alice asked her mother Chiyo over the phone. Her room wasn't completely vacant, as behind her sat Azumi, Megumi and Rumi, the infamous 'Bermuda Trio.'.

"Of course, it's finally finished, Alice. The museum is back to its former glory thanks to our efforts, but I must ask, how are the preparations for the grand tournament going?" Chiyo asked.

Alice looked over to Rumi who gave an 'OK' symbol with her hand, while Azumi and Megumi sat to the side with a good smile on their faces, caught up in the cuteness of their commander.

"It's all proceeding as planned. All-Stars University will be ready to participate in the grand battle when the time comes," Alice responded.

Chiyo gave a slight sigh. "You do know that you will be up against some skilled European schools, and due to your skill level you will almost probably be limited in the number of tanks you can bring," she said.

"Yes, Mother. I am fully aware of the odds stacked against us," Alice replied.

"But don't worry, my little Alice, you and your companions, especially the Bermuda Trio, are gifted with some of the greatest skills in Sensha-dō. You will push for victory and destroy any of those Europeans who dare stand against you."

She paused. "You will show them the true way, the way of the Shimada style."

  


"Maho I have the files on…" Erika began to say as she came into the room, but she was cut off by Maho putting a hand up. She saw that Maho had a phone up against her ear.

"I'm guessing that's Erika dropping in on our conversation," Shiho said on the other end of the line.

"Yes, Mother. She was gathering documentation on the upcoming tournament," Maho explained.

Shiho gave a sound of approval. "How is she anyways?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Erika called out loud enough for Shiho to hear.

"Good. Anyway, Maho, how have the preparations been going?" Shiho continued.

"Most of the vehicles are ready to be moved out, and we had an assembly today explaining everything to the crews," Maho said.

"That's excellent," Shiho praised, but then there was a bit of uneasy silence from Maho.

"Something on your mind, Maho?" her mother asked, noticing this.

"It's just that I know Ooarai will be participating in this tournament, I still can't take my thoughts off Miho," Maho admitted.

There was a heavy sigh from Shiho.

"You do realize she has tarnished and dragged our style through the mud, Maho, and that she defeated you in the 63rd tournament," she said.

"Yes, Mother," Maho replied in a sombre tone.

"But take this as an opportunity. The reason why I supported the match against All-Stars is because I wanted you to get the chance to defeat her," Shiho continued.

"Yes, Mother," Maho again replied.

"And can you make one promise to me?" her mother asked.

"What is it?" Maho said, slightly intrigued.

"There will be multiple European schools who will be participating, bringing their barbaric tactics and pointless commands to the battlefield. Miho will join their barbaric ways, but you Maho…"

There was a momentary pause. "You will show them the true way, the way of the Nishizumi style."

**Author's Note:**

> Translations
> 
> Vy deystvitel'no dumayete, chto my mozhem eto sdelat'? = Do you really think we can do it? (Russian)
> 
> Ya ne dumayu, chto u nas yest' bol'shoy vybor, teper' vy sobirayetes' podpisat' etot dokument ob uchastii? = I don't think we have much of a choice, now are you going to sign that participation document? (Russian)


End file.
